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View all search resultsBeyond clogs and tulips, Dutch games take center stage
An interactive exhibition at Erasmus Huis Jakarta invites visitors to discover Dutch creativity through 12 playable games, revealing how video game design has become part of the country's cultural identity.
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Ready, set, play: Five players compete on June 5, 2026, in the multiplayer racing game Chalo Chalo during the opening night of Clogs, Tulips and Video Games: Game Design from the Netherlands at Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)
A
loy, the fearless hunter from Horizon Zero Dawn, stands at the entrance to the exhibition hall of Erasmus Huis Jakarta. Bow in hand, she seems to beckon visitors inside. Beyond her, bold colors splash across the walls, tablets and giant LED screens glow from every corner, while the roars of fantastical beasts mingle with the electronic beeps of retro-style games. The Dutch cultural center has become an arcade.
Until Aug. 29, Erasmus Huis Jakarta is presenting Clogs, Tulips and Video Games: Game Design from the Netherlands, an exhibition featuring 12 iconic and playable Dutch games.
"When people think about Dutch creativity, they often think about Rembrandt, Van Gogh, maybe even Dutch clogs," said Adriaan Palm, deputy head of mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Indonesia, during the exhibition's opening on June 5. "But one thing that is actually missing, when it comes to design, is video game design."
The exhibition was curated by Dutch Games Association general manager Martine Spaans and Storyworld Museum game curator Arjan Terpstra, who selected 12 titles from the country's thriving game industry.
"From the Dutch Games Association, we always talk about how games are also culture," Spaans said. "But sometimes people don't see it that way. When they think of culture, they think of arts, music, and maybe movies."
The Netherlands is home to around 600 game studios employing more than 4,300 people, producing internationally acclaimed titles including the Horizon and Age of Wonders series.
"We always talk about how games are also culture. But sometimes people don't see it that way." — Martine Spaans, general manager, Dutch Games Association
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